Wichita eagle., 1887-10-01
ne atcnx Asts xxsls Saturday 9dun @etobet 1897,

Watches and waits. At last form agpsaA
gray against the sea Of verdre mads ~ ths
forest Of pines It Is Raymond returning
from shooting partridges Five minutes latsr
he arrives at the mill Laying his gun and
game bag on the ground at his fest, he dries
his brow and seats himself upon the bench
beside the door.
sand Denise, where Is sief7 be askS of his
companion.
sGone to the city, Monsieur Raymond"
Rather early, is it notl"
mo. not ct all; you might have met her at
St Bachhi if you had passed there about
O'Clock this morning
Il came from the other side-from Valmale.
Bat what are you keeping Holy Sunday for,
Master Estanoche? 1t isn't your custom. u
it!7
'No, it is the milestone which commands
here today It will not work
aWhat's the matter with itF said Ray
mond, laughing at the nliller's tone. ANY
thing serlous"
"That cannot tell you: but fear that
wing of the wheel has been broken, and the
fragments have stopped the arm OF the lever
which turns the stone Do you understands
"Of course answered Raymond
"Well, on account of it 1 am forced to stand
still, which isn't very cheerful, for I've 100
sacks to grind in the next three days"
"But all that can be arrangeds"
"Perhaps So" said the miller, @but now
must go and try and repair it," and talking
thus Estanoche takes the lantern from the
wall, lights it and starts toward the mill dam,
Raymond following him. The wheel to which
Estanoche referred rested upon pivot at the
bottom. Of deep and artificial gulf, into
which tho waters of the mill dam flung them
selves with irresistible fury The force Of
this water, when the gates were open, falling
upon the wings of the wheel, followed like
shells, and which orcupied nearly all the
space of this narrow chamber, forced 1t to
turn, and with it the milestone which ground
the grain in the hopper above.
"Permit me, Monsieur Raymond, to descend
into the pit" and hanging his ladder over the
edge of the black and Shiny gulf Estanoche
disappeared from sight
''It is nothing" he cried, moment later.
land no need of hand: the eye is sufh-
CENT? but all the same the miller did not re-
appear, but continued TO hammer and nail,
the noise rising from the depths to be re-
peated by the echo.
Bad luck to it, he shouted; this will
never go, the wheel is clogged; three days Of
work lost-three whole days!'
IL was with difficulty Raymond could dis
tinguish what the miller said, the depth of
the vault was so great.
Poor fellow" said the Partisan to himself
"he is having a time Of it. Can't you raise
the wheel." lie called to Estanoche. leaning
over and peering into the darkness.
"Too difficult for a single arm. Now, il
Matthew was only there; but the loiterer's at
the mass"
In moment Raymonds foot was on the
round of the ladder. He was really sorry for
the man whose cultural voice sent up from
the pit such volleys Of growls and fierce i'm.
precautions, and in the twinkling of an eye be
had descended to the bottom, the mill wheel
outlined against the sky looking above them
like monstrouS octopus.
"What are YOU doing here, II. RaymondF
cried the miller, who had heard him feeling
his way down the ladder: you'll take your
death i'll this dungeon of place Take care
take care; you're in country you were
never in before, in spite Of all your voyages
Light care TO them only through the open
ings beneath the wings of the wheel, but mar
row as they were, Raymond could still see be-
low them the dark green waters of the Hour
gouse borderod by vines and trailing ivy. The
lantern hooked to the side Of the vault
smoked behind its dirty glasses, throwing q
dim and feeble light up on the face OF the
miller, stripped to his shirt sleeves grinding
| and lifting with the strength of giant.
without troubling You, NJ. Raymond.
said Estanoche, "a stroke Of the hand will
| raise the wheel now-that is, when connect
the arm of the lever" and with a step like the
wind he climbed toward the opening. A
slight grating was heard, and as Raymond
looked above him the ladder was disappear
ing over the edge of the wheel pit
Had you passed along the road at this mo
ment you would have seen under the arch OF
the willows the figure of q mana man with
burning eyes-who trantically and with Zero
cious curses turned with both arms the crank
of the water gates, opening them wide
The mill dam had been closed since early
dawn, and as Estanoche had taken care that
the side gates were shut, the accumulated
water precipitated itself into the empty space
in heavy and roaring cataracts as if it ex.
pressed all the hatred and all tae shume Of the
frantic husband, maddened with rage and
jealousy; and the mill wheel, under the enor.
nous pressure, growled and whirled with a
UerrlDle uproGr.
One morning, perhaps fortnight later,
Estanoche WAS seated before the mill which
peacefully murmured and whirled its stones
when the rural postman came up the path
and handed him the little village paper. As
he glanced through its columns his eyes fell
upon the following lines: M Raymond de
B. has been missing for many days; it is
impossible to find any trace of him Every
one is lost in conjecture to his mysterious
event. This amiable young man was without
an enemy III he world and it is feared that
he has met with a terrible accident We beg
our readers to send to this paper any informa-
ton that may aid iii the discovery Of the
truth
Information of him. cried the miller,
with scowl information of him, Well, let
them ask the cray fish of the Hourgouse;
they, and they alone, can tell them where be
is!'-Translated from the French of St Mar.
tin for The San Francisco Chronicle by E. C.
Waggener.
TRAafinO hA EvA